


The Last Christmas

by Blue Eyes Black Dragon (OperaGoose)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Angst, Divorce, Infidelity, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 22:22:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5472725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OperaGoose/pseuds/Blue%20Eyes%20Black%20Dragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Strongly based on that story that floated around the internet about a married couple that are splitting up, but the wife asks for one more month before they split. </p>
<p>Kaiba Seto and Katsuya are divorcing, but Katsuya asks for one last Christmas before they separate...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Christmas

_23rd November..._

Kaiba nodded silently to Atemu, then murmured the polite goodbyes to Yuugi as they tugged on coats and hats and scarves to brave the weather. Jou sighed in relief and headed back through the arch to begin tidying up the dining room. “It was a good Labour Thanksgiving Dinner, Jou!” Mokuba said. He was sprawled out on their lounge, and had claimed to be too full to move ten minutes ago. “I think you ate most of it though!” 

“Oh, you know me,” Jou said fondly. “I eat twice as much as anyone else, at minimum.” 

“You cooked all day,” Mokuba said, giving his brother a slight frown. “Me and Seto can clean up. Why don't you head up to bed.” 

Jou laughed. “Come on, Mokuba. If I leave it up to Seto he'll leave it all to the cleaning staff.” 

Kaiba huffed. “We live in a serviced apartment block for a reason,” he pointed out. 

Jou gave Mokuba a look that clearly said ‘ _I told you so_ ’, then went back to packing up. The leftovers, of which there were copious amounts, went into Tupperware containers and inevitably to the homeless shelter tomorrow morning. Jou had been hard at work all day preparing a big American-style Thanksgiving feast. 

“Well... I'm going to bed,” Mokuba said uncertainly. “Seto, don't let Jou work himself too hard.” 

“Goodnight, Mokuba,” he replied in a firm voice, instead of acknowledging his brother's comment. 

Jou put all the food away in the fridge, wiped the table down, and then stacked the dishwasher up. He set it to the timer so it would turn on after they all left for work in the morning. Seto watched from the doorway silently, trying to find the best way to phrase the thoughts on his mind. 

“Boy am I beat,” Jou said, stretching. He walked past Seto, through the penthouse apartment and into the master bedroom. 

The brunet followed. He watched silently as Jou stripped down naked and slipped into the sheets of their bed. He turned onto his side, facing the tinted windows and the twinkling glow of the city view laid out before them. 

Seto swallowed his pride and dove right in. “I want a divorce.” 

A long sigh came from his husband, all tiredness and frustration. “Are you kidding me right now, Seto?” 

Blue eyes blinked at that. “What?” 

“Can we not have this conversation right now?” Jou demanded impatiently. 

“Jou, I'm divorcing you.” 

“It is Thanksgiving, Seto. There are thirty two days until Christmas. My PA has organised us at least a dozen public appearances, we have Mokuba's Christmas at the Orphanage to prepare for, I've got the Advent Events at the library to organise and _your secretary_ told Shizuka we'd go to her place for Christmas Dinner. Not right now.” 

Kaiba stared at that, not really comprehending what Jou was saying. “Jou. I'm leaving you. For someone else.” 

“I am _aware_ of that, Seto,” Jou growled. “And I just told you. Not. Right. Now.” He took a deep breath, sighed it out forcefully, then took another. “Get your lawyers to write something up if you want to. But I'm not even looking at it until after Otogi's Boxing Day party.” 

* * *

_25th November..._

Jou was sitting at the dining table when Kaiba came home from work. The usual array of paperwork was now spread out where a turkey feast had been just two nights ago. He was already dressed in running sweats—had probably been in the gym for an hour before he sat down to work on the business he'd brought home. 

Kaiba closed the door and set his briefcase on the ground. He didn't call hello as he took off his shoes and hung up his coat inside the frosted glass of the cupboard. 

When he stepped through the archway, Jou lowered the letter he'd been perusing. He gave a warm smile. “Seto, I have some news.” 

“Whatever it is, it can wait,” he replied impatiently. He slid a piece of paper across the glass of dining table. Jou looked confused as he picked it up, but his expression shifted as he read from confusion to utterly blank. “I mean to be good to you, Jou. You can have a generous monetary settlement, shares in KaibaCorp, a fortnightly spousal support cheque... you can even have this place.” He would be moving back to the mansion. 

“Yes,” Jou said in a low voice, “I can read, Seto.” 

“I know you are being...reluctant to grant me the divorce, but this will let you know how serious I am.” 

He could only watch in silent indignation as his husband folded the paper and ripped it into two pieces. “I don't want you to bribe me, Seto. I only asked you for time.” He stood, picked up the letter he'd been reading, and headed up to Mokuba's room. 

* * *

_26th November..._

Kaiba was asleep long before Jou came up to bed. When he woke, the other side of the bed was messy but empty. An envelope was propped up on the pillow, neatly marked out with the characters of his name. Irritated, he picked it up and turned it over to open the folds. 

“ _Danna_ ,” it began, because of course Jou would be still calling him husband at a time like this. 

“ _You are asking me for a divorce, freely admitted that you are leaving me for another man. I can't say I saw it coming, though I've known for months that you've been having an affair. I_

_“I know that this is not the life you wanted. When we married, we had plans. Our marriage together, the children we would have and how we would raise them. We gave ourselves five years to try with the surrogacy agency. It was my understanding that now five unsuccessful years have passed, our next choice was adoption._

_“Time, or whatever else it was, has made you give p on me, and give up on the family that we could have had._

_“I do not want to let you go, but I will free you. I won't pretend that I am willing, but I will give you this divorce under one condition: until one month has passed—the 26th of December—you pretend to our friends, family and the world that we are fine. One last Christmas together, just the two of us._

_"Yours, Kaiba Katsuya._ " 

Kaiba scowled, setting down the letter. What, was Jou trying to make him feel **guilty**? “Tch.” He stood, heading to the bathroom to shower. Once he sunk into the bath, he took up his phone and dialled. 

“Morning, darling,” the other greeted, voice a pleasant rumble of a greeting. “Have a nice dream of me?” 

“He left me a letter when I woke up,” Kaiba said, not playing along. 

“About the letter he tore up?” 

“Yes. He brought up shit to try and make me feel guilty,” he replied angrily. 

“Does that mean you'll have to take him to mediation?” 

“No. He's agreed. Kind of.” Kaiba sighed in frustration. He pushed the wet bangs of his hair back. “He wants to play happy couple for everyone until after Christmas.” 

A deep chuckle came through the phone in response. “Well, that's Jou-kun for you.” There was rustle of fabric in the background. “Well you'll never find a judge who'll take this until after the New Year anyway. Might as well give him what he wants.” 

Kaiba sighed. “Fine. Then I'll be free for you. New Year, new start." 

"Hm. Now... why don't you tell me what you'd be doing if I was in the bath with you?" 

* * *

_1st December..._

Jou had at least four orphans climbing all over him, eager to sit on his lap and tell him what they all wanted for Christmas. The sight was only slightly more ridiculous by the absence of a santa suit and the addition of a clipboard. Mokuba had at least twice the number of kids in the crowd waiting in line for him. 

“And this ‘Secret Santa’ thing works better, you find?” Kaiba asked the orphanage matron. 

“It did last year,” she replied. “Mokuba-sama came up with it. Just giving the kids giftcards was causing some bullying and thefts. He thought this would foster more of a community and a giving spirit.” 

“How does it work?” He asked, glaring as a kid yanked Jou's hair for attention and the blond just laughed. 

“All the kids put their name down and an idea for a small toy. Mokuba randomly assigns every child a recipient, and the gift card they got in the past is now used to buy that present.” 

“Hn.” It sounded like the same stupid idea Jou used to suggest for their home-room class during high school so he didn't have to buy presents for more than one person. “Well, I hope it shows the same success this year.” 

Jou finished with his group and brought the clipboard over to the matron. 

She smiled at him, taking the clipboard from him. “You're so good with kids, Kaiba-san. Have you thought any more about adopting?” 

Kaiba was started, but Jou didn't miss a beat. He just smiled. “We have a lot of family decisions to make after Christmas. I'll let you know if we decide.” 

She quickly left to deal with an argument that had broken out between two older boys. Kaiba turned and gave him an accusatory look. “You've been talking to her about adopting?” 

“Only for the past three years,” Jou replied, unclipping his paper for the clipboard. 

“You implied you'd have something to talk about in future,” he added suspiciously. 

“You've resigned all right to my future family, Seto. If I want to have kids or not, it's none of your business,” the blond replied. His face was pleasant to anyone looking. But his voice was stone cold. 

Before Kaiba could answer that, there was a tugging at his coat. He looked down to see a kid of about five or six, tugging on him. A warm smile tugging at his lips, he knelt down to her level. 

She hugged him tightly, smiling. “Hi Mr Seto!” she greeted brightly. 

“Good evening, Isa-chan,” he replied. “How may I help you today?” 

He listened to her easy chatter for what had to be ten minutes, smiling and talking to her when she paused. Then, she said to him unexpectedly: “when I'm grown up, I hope I can marry someone and be happy forever with them like you and Mr Katsuchan!” 

His smile felt dead on his face. Was this some trick of Jou's to make him feel guilty again? He shot a suspicious look at his husband over his shoulder. Jou looked stricken. He turned away and walked off toward the foyer without a word. Kaiba spoke to the little girl for a long time and then let her head off. He found Mokuba and Jou together in the hallway, talking in low voices. Jou shushed his brother as Kaiba approached. 

Mokuba frowned slightly, looking between them. “Well...I'll see you at home. Thanks for coming and helping them out.” He left them alone, nodding to his brother as he passed. 

“What's going on?” Kaiba asked suspiciously. 

“I'm going home,” Jou replied. “I've got a long day at the library and a meeting with the council financial planner. I need to be well-rested.” 

“Fine,” Kaiba said stiffly. “We need to talk about your letter at some point.” 

Jou raised his eyebrows. “Didn't realise there was anything to talk about. If you want it without fuss, then you'll give me this month.” 

“Jou,” Kaiba growled. “This month isn't going to change my mind. No matter how many cute orphans you push on me.” 

“This isn't an elaborately planned guilt trip, Seto,” he replied, annoyed. “I'm done trying to keep this marriage together on my own. It's clearly not what you want.” 

“So what's this one month bullshit about?” Kaiba growled. 

“Keeping a lie alive to make sure everyone enjoys their bullshit Seasonal Cheer. I'm not going to ruin the mood of everyone's Christmas just because you're giving up.” 

“Yes. You're so self-sacrificing, Jou.” 

“You don't know the half of it.” The black limo pulled up to the curb. Jou opened the door, shivering in the unexpected icy wind. He paused. “If you really want to talk...” 

Kaiba sneered at him. “I'll get your P.A. to schedule me in around our other public appearances, shall I?” 

Jou gave him an angry look. “Sure, Seto. I'll make sure she finds somewhere to pencil you in.” 

* * *

_4th December..._

Kaiba, as soon as he walked into the library, spotted Jou up a ladder hanging paper chains over a shelf. “Don't I give you enough money to pay other people to do that?” 

Jou gripped the ladder in one tight fist. “I can better redirect KaibaCorp donations to more beneficial uses—rather than paying a decorator to put up some kids' DIY decorations.” He taped the last end into place and slid down the ladder, jumping off before the last few rungs and landing heavily. He turned to raise both eyebrows at Kaiba. “What are you doing here?” 

“It's the first Friday of December,” Kaiba replied, surprised by the question. “You and I always go look at the Christmas Lights together today.” Jou frowned at him silently. “Come on. You tell me it's a waste of electricity and city funding; and I tell you to shut up and be festive. It's traditional!” 

“I figured you'd be taking your lover,” Jou said flatly. 

“We did this even before we got married,” Kaiba reminded him, confused. 

“We're not friends, Seto. You don't go back to being friends when you divorce after five years of marriage. We become ex-husbands and our friends panic over which one of us to invite for dinner because they know they can't invite us both.” 

Kaiba swallowed. “I thought we'd part more amicably than that...” 

“You are **leaving** me for **another man**. Where exactly did you think that left space for an **amicable** divorce?” 

The brunet inhaled angrily through his nose. “What did you want me to, Jounouchi? Stay in a dead-end marriage and continue seeing the man I love behind you back?” 

“Yes!” Jou snapped back. “Because when I was promising ‘ _till death do us part_ ’ in front of all our friends and family, **I** actually meant it! I want to be the one you always come home to!” 

“I don't feel the same way I did back then,” Kaiba replied impatiently. 

“That's not supposed to matter!” Jou replied. “Call me old-fashioned! The person you choose to marry is meant to be the one you're willing to stay with even after your feelings have changed.” 

Kaiba frowned. “That's a rather twisted way of looking at it.” 

He exhaled angrily and turned away. “I'm glad now that we didn't have a kid together,” he said in a dark voice. “If you had to put a kid through this, I don't think I could ever forgive you.” 

“Things would've been different,” Kaiba said in a quiet reluctant voice. 

Jou turned back to look at him, hatred in his eyes. “What are you really saying, Seto?” He demanded. “That a kid would have been enough to keep you in this marriage you hate so much?” 

“I don't know!” Kaiba said, suddenly shouting. “I don't know if it would be enough! I wanted a family with you, Katsuya! It didn't work out. I want something else now. And I'm sorry if it hurts you to know but **yes** , it's easier to divorce you alone than if we had a kid!” 

Jou clenched his fists. “Seto, we…” He trailed off, looking at the ground. After a moment, he turned away again. “I'm sorry I'm not enough for you anymore.” 

“Jou...” 

“I'll finish closing up,” Jou said abruptly, moving to the front desk. “Then we can go look at your stupid Christmas lights. Even though they look ridiculous and are a giant waste of electricity and resources.” 

A bittersweet feeling sliced through Kaiba's chest. A small, sad smile tugged at his lips. “Shut up and just be festive, Jou.” 

* * *

_4th December, six years earlier..._

_“Kaiba-shachou,” the perky voice of his receptionist filtered out of the phone on his desk. “You've got an unexpected guest here who would like to come in to see you.”_

_“I take it they don't have an appointment,” he replied impatiently._

_“No, sir. But he's on Mokuba-san's approved visitors list.”_

_“Mokuba's what now?” He asked, frowning. He sighed in frustration. “Tell them they can have ten minutes. It's a busy time of year.”_

_He didn't get a response from his receptionist. He saved the spreadsheets he was working on then clicked until his screens only showed his desktop picture. Linking his fingers, he turned expectantly towards the door._

_Whoever he had been expecting to walk in, Jounouchi Katsuya was not one of them. The blond strode in, dressed in a thin denim jacket and wrapped up in a thick woollen scarf. He walked with his usual brash attitude—like he was welcome wherever he pleased._

_“If you're here to tell me to come to Yugi's Christmas party, I've already told him that I'm far too busy at this time of year for—”_

_“Surprisingly enough,” Jounouchi interrupted him. “I'm here on business.”_

_Kaiba raised his eyebrow suspiciously. “You? Here on business?” He asked. “Who on earth employed you?”_

_“The muncipal council,” the blond replied flatly. “I run the Domino City Library in the downtown metropolitan ward.”_

_“ **You?** ” Kaiba laughed. “A librarian? I've never seen you read a book in your life!”_

_“Yeah, it's real ironic,” Jounouchi replied, still in a deadpan voice. “Look, your receptionist said you were busy so I'm gonna be quick. I can't get any extra funding from the council for Christmas activities, so they advised me to go to local businesses.”_

_“I doubt KaibaCorp is your ‘local business’,” Kaiba replied, scowling._

_“No. But you are the first one to come to mind.”_

_“So you've come here begging for money?” Kaiba asked, making sure to keep his expression to its business neutral._

_“Not for me,” he replied, shrugging. “I make do. I wanna do some stuff for the local kids.”_

_“And you thought I would help you, why?” He sneered._

_Jounouchi gave him a steady look. “Because I've seen KaibaLand, Kaiba. I know these guys aren't orphans, but they are underprivileged kids. Some of them...their parents can't afford to buy any decorations, let alone presents. If I have to fund this stuff myself, it's gonna be pathetic.”_

_“KaibaCorp's charitable donations are organised by Mokuba,” Kaiba replied, turning away from him. He typed into the keyboard, opening up the spreadsheet for Mokuba's charity finances. As usual, he was over-budget—though he wasn't at all surprised. “If you make the formal application, I can probably get you in to the contributions next year...”_

_Jounouchi frowned at him. “Seriously?”_

_Kaiba turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. “You wanted to talk business, Jounouchi.”_

_He sighed in frustration. “Fucking hell. And they call me Scrooge.” He turned on his heel. “Thanks for nothing, Kaiba.”_

_Kaiba frowned. “It's not my fault the parents of these kids can't afford to celebrate, Jounouchi!” he called after him._

_The blond turned back to him. “And it's not the kids' fault either, Kaiba. But it's fine. You can spend four million yen on decorating your office lobby, but you can't spare me a go-en for kids who'll go hungry on Christmas night.”_

_Kaiba snorted. “Really? You'll take five yen to get out of my office?”_

_“Nup,” he replied angrily. “I wouldn't ask you for one, Kaiba. Storming out of your office is a free service.”_

_Before he could take another step toward the door, Mokuba burst in, grinning. “Jou-kun!” he greeted eagerly. “I thought it might be you!”_

_“Hi, kiddo,” Jounouchi said, a tired smile crossing his lips. “I was just storming out.”_

_“Nii-sama!” Mokuba groaned. “What did you do this time?”_

_“Who said I did anything?” Kaiba asked, folding his arms and scowling._

_Mokuba folded his arms and gave his brother the ‘you are not fooling me’ expression he was used to getting at this stage. He turned to Jounouchi again. “What brings you down here, Jou-kun?”_

_“Eh,” he shrugged, ruffling the hair at the back of his head. It was longer than he'd worn it in high school, starting to curl a bit more at the ends. “Just a work thing. Not important now.”_

_Mokuba tilted his head. “The library, right?” He asked. “What's up? You need KaibaCorp tech for something?”_

_“No. Nothing like that,” Jounouchi said, shrugging._

_“Jounouchi came here demanding money,” Kaiba answered._

_“That wasn't it at all,” he replied angrily._

_Kaiba raised his eyebrow, giving him a cold look. “Did you or did you not come here with the express purpose of getting money from me?”_

_“Well, yeah, but you're making it sound...” He huffed, crossing his arms, all tangled up in his scarf. “It didn't even have to be money,” he replied. “I was only gonna buy art supplies and Christmas decorations anyway.”_

_“Christmas decorations?” Mokuba asked. Uh-oh. Kaiba recognised that spark in his eyes. “For the library?”_

_Jounouchi shrugged. “Yeah. And art supplies. I was gonna set up some tables so they can make decorations, small gifts, paint some wrapping paper and such.”_

_“That's a cool idea!” Mokuba said. “Seto, how much money are you giving him?”_

_Kaiba silently raised his eyebrows. He turned around his computer screen and showed Mokuba the over-drawn charity spreadsheet. Mokuba gave him a sheepish smile, but offered no explanation. Jounouchi looked between them, confused. “Did you miss something?”_

_“Mokuba is incapable of sticking to budgets,” Kaiba replied. “There's no money left allocated for charitable contributions for this quarter. As I was telling you before you got all petulant, you can make an application for next year.”_

_“Nii-sama!” Mokuba scolded. “This is Jou-kun. He's your friend, we can help him out.”_

_Friend? Kaiba raised an eyebrow slightly. He would hardly claim that. But he wasn't going to argue with Mokuba about this. “What do you suggest, Mokuba?” He asked._

_“Art supplies don't cost much. We got decorations leftover from the orphanage, KaibaCorp and the mansion. I'm sure we can manage something.” A peculiar sort of smile Kaiba was used to thinking of as his ‘mischief’ smile crossed his younger brother's face. “I'll take the car and get the leftovers from the mansion. Seto why don't you walk with Jou to the art supplier's and get him whatever he needs. You’re going out walking anyway, aren’t you?”_

_Kaiba scowled. “Nobody will be open. It's after business hours.”_

_“I know a guy,” Jounouchi replied. “I can give him a ring and get him to stay open for a couple hours for me.”_

_“Then it's decided!” Mokuba declared. He turned on his heel and headed outside to talk to Kaiba's receptionist._

_The elder brother was left blinking after him. “I'm not entirely sure what I just agreed to...”_

_Jounouchi grinned. “It's Mokuba. Sometimes you just gotta admit when you're beaten and go with whatever he's got planned for you.”_

_“Hn.” He stood up. “We're walking through the park,” he declared. “I always take a walk this time of year and admire the decorations.”_

_“The Christmas Decorations all over the city?” Jounouchi asked, disgusted. “Sure. The city can spend one billion yen on new decorations every year, but they can't spare me anything for the kids at the library. Not to mention the costs of running the damn things, paying council workers to put them up, then take them back down—”_

_“Jounouchi, shut up,” Kaiba snapped, wrapping a scarf around his neck. “Just be festive and enjoy it, would you?”_

* * *

_9th December..._

Kaiba stepped into the library, smiling at a kid that ran past him with a paper aeroplane. There was a hubbub of noise in the kids' area, and he followed the sound. Jou was sat at a table, surrounded by a dozen kids, and a hundred shiny baubles. He had one held in a delicate hand, brushing glue along the bottom, eyes on one of the haffu children as they babbled away in childish English. 

There were other tables. The one closest to him had a pile of self-drying clay that the kids were pounding into various statues. Another close by had a group of kids painting patterns on soft paper that Jou would help them use as wrapping paper in a week or so. Kaiba walked past them all to the table where he found Mokuba helping kids make angels and stars out of shiny gold and silver pipe-cleaners. 

“Hi nii-sama!” Mokuba greeted, grinning. “Business meeting run long?” 

“Sorry I'm late,” he answered instead. He hardly wanted to explain to Mokuba that he'd just gotten back from a tryst at the uptown hotel KaibaCorp had purchased last year. “Where am I needed?” 

“Yugi's got the origami table and Atemu's making dolls. I guess you could man whatever table you like best.” Mokuba returned his attention to a kid who was having issue with his angel, and Kaiba felt himself dismissed. He wandered between the tables for a while, talking to the kids and listening to their stories. He spent a while at the doll-making table, trying to adjust Atemu's ideas and advice toward the kids. 

Eventually, he came around to the bauble decorating table. Jou looked up as he approached, a soft smile on his face. “Evening, danna.” 

Seto took a seat next to him, making sure the tails of his coat were neatly arranged and not liable to get trampled on. “Evening, Jou.” 

Jou sighed a little, then passed him a fresh bauble to decorate. They sat in silence for a while, each one taking turns with glue and glitter, and setting them aside to help the kids with their problems. Other than origami it was the table that needed to most attention and assistance. It was unusual Jou had been left to attend it on his own—but then again, Kaiba had been helping him out for the past six years. 

Kaiba pursed his lips slightly, starting to whistle the jaunty American carols Jou had introduced him to in the past. Some of the kids managed to sing along, others just listened. It averted the need for conversation between them at least. 

They continued on like this until Kaiba heard familiar steps behind them and some of the children giggling. He glanced up, seeing first Mokuba grinning down at them, and then the sprig of mistletoe he was dangling over their heads. “Mokuba...” 

“It's okay, Kaiba-sama!” one of the kids said eagerly. “You're married. My okaa-san said that married people are allowed to kiss!” 

Jou didn't even look up from his decorating. “Mokuba, put the mistletoe back wherever you found it.” 

“Uh-uh!” Mokuba laughed. “It's enchanted, you see. It won't move away until the two of you share a proper kiss.” 

Kaiba was beginning to suspect that his little brother had noticed more than he appeared to let on. Mokuba hadn't tried this sort of stuff since he'd been attempting to get him to propose. He suppressed a heavy sigh, then leaned over, lightly kissing Jou's cheek. 

Jou gently kissed the corner of his mouth in return. The kids cheered, and Kaiba tried to ignore the feel of eyes burning into his back. He turned back to his work and resumed his whistling. 

Bakura helped out for a couple of hours in the evening, as well as some of Mokuba's friends whose names he could never seem to remember. Yugi and Atemu left first, the latter claiming he was getting a headache. Mokuba was the last to leave, ushering out all the remaining children. 

Kaiba thought about leaving, but instead he stood to the side and watched Jou packing up all the supplies to set out the next afternoon. “You haven't told Mokuba?” 

“About the divorce?” Jou replied, carefully pegging up the sheets of ‘wrapping paper’ to dry on an old indoor clothes horse. “I figured you would, when you were ready. He's like a brother to me, but he is actually your brother. I don't expect you to tell Shizuka when the time comes.” 

“So what's he acting out for?” Kaiba asked. “I figured he'd grown out of the force-my-brother-to-kiss-his-partner stage by now.” 

“He's perceptive, Seto,” Jou answered, shrugging. “Maybe he's noticed you're completely uninterested in me these days. Not when you're ducking out on Christmas Pastimes to have secret trysts with your lover.” 

Kaiba drew back, startled. “How did you?” 

“Please,” he said, irritated. “You're practically glowing with that ‘I just had sex’ glow. You forget I spent the last several years _putting_ that look on your face?” 

Kaiba blinked. “Huh. I don't even remember the last time we had sex.” 

“October Twenty-Fifth,” Jou replied, turning his back to him to put some clay statuettes on an empty shelf. “If you care to remember.” 

“Hn,” Kaiba replied, surprised. “That's...sooner than I thought it was.” 

“Of course it is,” Jou muttered audibly. “You've been having a lot more sex than I have in the past year.” 

He frowned at his back. “How long have you known?” 

“Valentine’s Day,” Jou replied. “You couldn't look me in the eye all night. Pretty much proven when I found that pocketwatch on your desk before White Day and you gave me a new watchband.” 

Kaiba sunk his head. At least he could still feel ashamed about that. “Oh.” 

“I'm not gonna ask if it's been going on longer than that. I really don't wanna know.” Jou finished putting up the statues and then turned to face him. “You don't have to hang around. You're not even helping.” 

“I can wait, Jou,” he replied quietly. “I brought the LaFerrari.” 

Jou raised his eyebrows. “You haven't driven me around in the LaFerrari since you skipped out on my charity event for....” He narrowed his eyes at him. “What are you dropping out of?” 

“Who said I was...?” He fell silent as Jou's eyes narrowed at him dangerously. “Fine. Ice-skating this weekend. I'm taking...someone else.” 

“Fine,” Jou said, far too flippantly to be believed. “Slipping over and breaking bones doesn't sound like good fun to me either. Have fun with lover boy.” 

“I know you said you wanted to keep up appearances...” 

“But the skating rink is always privately booked out anyway. I get it.” He headed over to the front desk, beginning to lock everything up and turn off lights. “I hope whoever this guy is makes you happy.” 

“He does.” 

* * *

_11th December, five years earlier..._

_Kaiba was pacing back and forth in the antechamber, tugging at his suit anxiously. “Is he out there?”_

_Mokuba laughed at him. “Of course he's out there,” he replied. “You're more worried than he is.”_

_“Mokuba you're not being particularly reassuring,” he grumbled._

_“Seto, your documentation is already filed and officiated. This is just a ceremony,” Mokuba reminded him. “He's hardly gonna leave you at the altar.”_

_“Thanks Mokuba that makes me feel exactly zero percent better.” He hadn't even thought to be worried about that! He was just panicking about Jou showing up late or not showing up at all! Now he had to panic about Jou being there and then leaving halfway through!_

_Mokuba laughed at him. He straightened his tie and then tugged him out to the ceremony. They'd blended together traditional and Western-style ceremonies to create something of their own. There wasn't many people to witness, since he hadn't wanted to turn it into a public spectacle. In the New Year they'd send a press release announcing their marriage, but for it was just them._

_Or rather, just him, waiting anxiously and looking at the other door for Jou would come in. The officiant was patient, silently observing the room. Yugi and Bakura were standing together talking, Anzu, Honda and Otogi a little way away from them. Mokuba was standing with Shizuka on the other side of the aisle, the two of them whispering and laughing together._

_The group fell silent when the other doors open. Jou stepped out of them, grinning as if he'd never stop, eyes only for Kaiba. He'd chosen a traditional kimono, a little shabby but sewn with the Jounouchi family crest. Kaiba, usually so in control of himself and his emotions, felt overwhelmed by the happiness that washed over him. His eyes watered, and his hand shook a little as he reached out to hold Jou's._

* * *

_11th December..._

Jou was on the phone, speaking in rapid English to the person on the other line. He raised his eyebrows silently at Kaiba's festive Christmas sweater, but didn't pause in his conversation. Kaiba sat down on the bed, crossing his legs as he waited for him to finish on the phone. After he hung up, he raised an eyebrow at the blond. “Who was that?” 

“Your mother-in-law,” Jou said in a dark tone of voice. 

Kaiba frowned at him. “What does she want?” 

“She's invited herself to Shizuka's Christmas dinner. Wants me to pick her up from the airport,” he replied. 

“Tch!” Kaiba scoffed, folding his arms. “Why did you even answer the phone?” 

“I thought she might be calling to say... well never mind. I have to call Shizuka and give her a warning.” 

“It'll have to wait. Mokuba's got a karaoke room booked for us with some of the older orphans." Kaiba chuckled at the shudder Jou gave. “It's ‘good practice’ for the Christmas Pageant, he says. We're already ten minutes late.” 

Jou whined and groaned, making a big show of getting up from his seat. “Wanna skip out?” He asked as he went into the walk-in-robe to change. “We could pretend we have secret dinner reservations. We could probably even get some if we pull the ‘ _we're the Kaibas and it's our anniversary_ ’ card.” The sudden silence that followed had him sticking his head back out, bare-chested. “What?” 

“It's our anniversary.” 

Jou rolled his eyes and ducked back into the wardrobe. “Not like you to be the one to forget, Seto.” 

“I've had a lot on my mind.” He sighed. “Orphans are probably an excuse to get us out of the house so he can set up a romantic anniversary dinner. We better go.” 

“Fine,” Jou said petulantly. “But I'm not singing.” 

“Oh, come on Jou,” he teased. “You know it always boosts their confidence when you sing!” 

“Only because they know they can at least sing better than me!” Jou replied, a pout obvious in his voice. 

Kaiba laughed. “Exactly.” And then he was forced to duck the shoe that came flying out at him. 

They got to the club, half an hour late and hoping that the teens hadn't been too rowdy in their absence. The woman led them to one of the larger rooms at the back. “It's quiet in there,” Jou mumbled, walking close to him as they followed. “Too quiet. You think **they** skipped out on **us**?” 

Kaiba didn't get to answer. They stepped into the room and were suddenly assaulted by the voices of their friends shouting: “surprise!” 

Startled, he looked around and then stepped away from Jou. “What's going on?” He demanded of Mokuba. 

“It's a surprise party!” the other replied, grinning. “For your fifth anniversary!” 

He clenched his fists angrily. “Mokuba...” 

Jou laughed and took his hand. “Oh, you know Seto, Mokie,” he said. “He hates surprises. He thought you were planning a dinner for us at home.” 

Kaiba met Atemu's eyes. A single finely plucked eyebrow rose. He dropped Jou's hand quickly. 

“I spoke to Seto's secretary,” Mokuba was saying, “and she said he had late night dinner reservations at the hotel already.” If he noticed the surprise twitching across Jou's face, he didn't say so. 

Kaiba felt panic clawing at his chest. “Mokuba, why the hell would you plan a surprise party?” 

Mokuba gave him a peculiar look. More than likely he thought his brother was over-reacting. “Because it's a milestone,” he replied. “You've been married for five years!” 

“Seto, why don't you take a few minutes outside to calm your nerves,” he suggested softly. “You can tell them we're ready for the food and champagne.” 

Kaiba followed the order instantly, stepping outside the door and leaning against the wall. A minute or two later, the door opened and released another into the corridor. 

“Five years, hm?” 

“I didn't know he was planning this,” Kaiba replied. “I would have warned you not to come.” His lover at his five-year wedding anniversary, what could be more embarrassing? 

“That would have come across very suspicious.” 

“I don't care,” Kaiba replied. “In a few weeks, they're going to know everything anyway.” 

“Hm. Let's go get the refreshments.” 

When they returned to the room, Jou was sitting with Yuugi, the two of them laughing about some probably awful, immature joke. Kaiba sat down next to Jou for appearances sake. He'd make their excuses soon, but he couldn't be the first one to leave their own anniversary party. 

Eventually, he was relieved. “Aibou, I have to go,” Atemu said. He made a show of taking out his pocket watch to check the time. “I'll be late.” 

Jou stiffened in the seat beside him. When he spoke, his voice was easy. “Catchya later, Atemu.” 

The former pharaoh nodded. “Happy anniversary, Jou-kun.” 

“Jou...” Kaiba whispered. 

“It's weird you've all started calling me ‘Jou’ again," he said, watching Atemu leave. “Considering I'm not even named Jounouchi anymore.” 

“That's true,” Mokuba said. “Why is that?” 

“I guess it's Atemu,” Yuugi said thoughtfully. “He always calls you ‘ _Jou-kun_ ’, so I guess I just picked up the habit.” 

“They do say you spend a lot of time with someone you start picking up their habits,” Jou said. He turned to look at Kaiba. “When are the dinner reservations, Seto?” 

“Nine o'clock. Should I call to cancel?” Kaiba asked uncertainly. 

“Nah,” Jou replied, smiling. “We'll be able to make it, right Mokuba?” 

“Yeah! We'll just hurry along with the gifts!” 

Jou grinned widely and made a grabbing motion with his hands. The others in the room laughed at him. 

The fifth anniversary was wood. Yuugi had given them a statue of two dragons, one in dark ebony, and the other in bleached holly. The card was signed with Atemu's name as well, but Kaiba doubted he'd had anything to do with it. The former pharaoh didn't care for anniversaries or birthdays—except his own. 

Bakura's gift was a wooden vase, and Honda's a new set of polished ebony chopsticks. Kaiba thanked them all with more politeness but less eager enthusiasm than Jou. But then came Mokuba's present. 

It was something flat and square, and he handed it to Jou with an eager smile. The blond glanced at him warily, and then opened it with a careful hand. 

It was flat wood, with characters burned into it. Jou's hands shook, badly, as he held it. Kaiba felt the blood drain from his face as he recognised it. “Mokuba.” 

His younger brother grinned. “It's the letter you wrote to Jou on your paper anniversary!” he said eagerly. “When you said all that sweet stuff about how Jou feels like family, and how if you could be as happy with him for the rest of your life as you had been for the last year, you could never ask for more—Jou? Are you crying?” 

Kaiba darted a startled look to Jou beside him. He was shaking with silent sobs and wiping hastily at his eyes. “It's fine, Mokuba,” he said. He gave a watery smile to the group. “I just forgot what a romantic nerd Seto can be when he wants to.” 

“Katsuya...” Kaiba said uncertainly. 

“Well. Now that I've embarrassed myself crying like a child in front of all our friends, I think that's a good time to escape for our super secret dinner plans.” Jou hurried onto his feet and hugged the present to his chest. He smiled at them. “Thanks, guys. I'll see you at the Christmas Pageant, yeah?” 

The goodbyes were quick. Mokuba slyly told Kaiba that he would spend the night at the mansion to give them their privacy. He cut his younger brother with a look and then headed out with Jou. 

Once they were driving, he carefully glanced aside at Jou, still holding the gift to his chest. “Jou...” 

“You can drop me off in the next ward,” the other answered quickly. “I'm sure your lover won't want to be kept waiting.” 

“That's nowhere near our penthouse, Jou,” he pointed out. 

“It's close enough to my old place,” he replied. “Baa-san will let me in. Might as well get used to slumming it again.” 

He sighed, defeated. “I'm sorry, Jou. Mokuba shouldn't have done that. He upset you.” 

“ **You** upset me, Kaiba. Don't blame Mokuba because you want the most ill-timed divorce in history.” Jou's fingers tightened on the edges of the wood. “Mokuba gave a really thoughtful, poignant present. I'm going to keep it. It'll remind me one day that, for some reason, you actually cared about me.” 

Kaiba's hands gripped violently around the steering wheel. “I still care about you, Jou.” 

“But what? You care about _him_ more?” 

“Yes.” He sighed. “It's different. With you... It was comfortable, and... I could've spent the rest of my life with you. But with him, he... he light me up. I can't imagine living a single day without him.” 

“Fine,” Jou said, his voice final. “I can walk from here.” 

“Jou, I'm driving you to the bakery.” 

“I don't want you to. I don't want to be around you right now.” 

Kaiba sighed, pulling the car over to the nearest stop zone. “I am sorry, Jou.” 

“Sorry won't make you fall in love with me, Seto.” He pulled the door open. “I wish he'd been around before you married me. You could've been nuts over him and I wouldn't care less.” He sighed tiredly, shivering a little in the cold breeze. “I guess I'm just different. I've never needed someone like that. Don't worry about me. I've been happier with you than anyone else, but I don't _need_ you. Once the grief ends, I'll be fine without you.” 

“Grief?” Kaiba frowned at him. “I'm not dying, Jou.” 

“You might as well be. Our marriage will be over, you won't be in my life any more, our friends won't be able to talk to me about you.” 

A strange, unidentified feeling was twisting in his lower stomach. “I'll still be in your life, Jou,” he said. “...right?” 

Jou gave him a cold look and stepped out of the car. “No, Seto. You won't.” He shut the car door. 

Kaiba watched him walk away, arms wrapped around Mokuba's present, until he disappeared from sight. 

* * *

_December 14th..._

The penthouse was gloriously warm when he returned home. He unwrapped his scarf and shook the ice crystals out of his hair. He hung up his coat and sent a message to housekeeping to get it cleaned and dried. 

“Mokuba?” He called uncertainly. 

“He's taking the orphans to the mall,” Jou's voice called from the living room. Kaiba headed in to find him sitting across from the roaring fireplace, a deck of standard playing cards arranged for solitaire. “Mokuba said you had a meeting.” 

“...not exactly.” He came over, stretching beside him on the floor, careful not to disturb the cards. “Solitaire?” 

“Head's getting a bit funny. Didn't want to agitate it with the T.V. or laptop,” he replied, flipping a card and examining the piles. 

“Or the lights?” 

“The fire's nice,” Jou answered, shrugging. 

Kaiba hummed in agreement, watching Jou play in the light of the dancing flames. The colour really brought out the gold flecks in his eyes. 

“You're staring.” 

“Am I?” Kaiba asked absently. “Did you lose yet?” 

“Tch!” Jou replied, but there was a soft smile on his lips. “I win sometimes!” 

“I'll believe it when I see it.” He shifted to get more comfortable, their knees brushing together. “Deal me in, we'll play Quick.” 

“Speed,” Jou corrected. Like he always did. There was something warm and familiar about his tone of voice. His deft fingers started shuffling the cards up. “We'll see if **you** can beat **me** this time.” 

“I beat you 49% of the time, Katsuya.” 

Jou paused, looking at him for a long moment. Then he scoffed a laugh and turned away. “You nerd. Keeping track like that.” 

“I've got a head for numbers.” He took up his pile and drew five cards with one pass of his hand. 

“So, Atemu bailed on your tryst tonight, huh?” 

“...what?” 

“If it's ‘ _not exactly_ ’ a meeting, and Mokuba says you're having dinner at the hotel, it means you're meeting up to fuck Atemu, right?” 

Kaiba set down his cards. “How did you...?” 

“Pocketwatch.” 

He sighed. “Yuugi got a cold. He called the restaurant to cancel.” 

“He stood you up,” Jou said. 

“He called to cancel!” Kaiba protested. 

“He called **the restaurant** to cancel,” Jou replied. “That's standing you up.” 

“You've been watching too many American dramas.” He took up his cards. “Let's play.” 

After a while, Jou asked: “does he do that often?” 

“Does he do what?” 

“Make you do stuff and then back out at the last minute.” 

Kaiba frowned down at the cards. “It's hard when you're keeping it secret. Sometimes Yuugi has planned things and he has to cancel.” 

“Gee,” Jou said sarcastially. “I'm _so sorry_ it's that difficult to have an affair.” 

“That's…” He sighed. “I didn't mean it like that.” 

“No, I get it,” Jou replied sourly. “You can reschedule your business meetings and miss family events to fuck around with Atemu, but as soon as Yuugi is inconvenienced, he has to change his plans.” 

Kaiba scowled. “How about we don't talk about this?” He suggested. 

“Fine. Talking about your affair isn't fun for me anyway.” He laid down the last of his cards, winning the game. 48.88%. 

“How's the library?” Kaiba asked, gathering everything up to shuffle and re-deal. 

“Fine. How's Kaiba Corp?” 

He shrugged. “It's Christmas. The usual.” 

“Which part's screwing up this year?” He asked, a smile tugging at his lips. 

“The factory. They're saying they won't have enough time to fill all the Christmas Eve priority orders.” 

“Every year I tell you to hire season workers,” Jou said. 

“I know. I know.” 

They played another round in silence, except for exclamations over the game. 

“I'm starving,” Jou said, after he'd won again. 

“Did the caterer leave dinner?” Kaiba asked, packing away the cards. 

“Sent her home. You know I feel weird about her cooking when it's just for me.” Jou's lips pursed together in an adorable pout. It had taken Kaiba months to realize it he was unaware of it and not putting it on. 

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I've told you a thousand times, Katsuya. If you're going to put, I'm going to kiss you.” He pulled back and frowned slightly at the startled and confused look Jou was giving him. It occurred to him, sort of awkwardly, that it probably wasn't something he should be doing any more. He ruffled the blond hair to break the moment. “Do you want chicken? I always feel like K.F.C. at this time of year.” 

Jou laughed. “Every year.” He stretched, resting his head back against the Western couch. “Send a driver? I don't want to go out.” 

“Yeah,” Kaiba said gently. “Yeah, okay.” 

* * *

_December 15th..._

Kaiba woke up with a start at the sound of his phone ringing. Jou groaned and rolled away from the noise. Groggily, he reached for the phone, first squinting at the time, then the Caller I.D. 

“Atemu?” He asked, without any proper greeting. “It's 1am.” 

“Yuugi is asleep for the night. I thought I'd make it up to you for missing dinner.” 

“I'm already in bed,” he answered reluctantly. 

“Perfect. You can just lay back and do exactly what I tell you.” 

“...with Katsuya.” 

“Oh.” Atemu sounded angry. Kaiba couldn't begin to wonder why. 

“If you're going to have phone sex,” Jou mumbled angrily, “can you go into the spare room?” 

Kaiba moved the phone over to his spare hand, using the other to gently card through the blond's mussed hair. “Another time, Atemu.” Jou pressed up into his hand, and a smile tugged at his lips. “You're let off tonight.” He waited for an answer, and when he got none, he glanced at the screen. Atemu had hung up. 

Shrugging, he moved to discard it, then pulled Jou back into his arms. “Shh, Katsu,” he murmured. “It's okay.” 

“Phone was too loud,” he complained, hiding his face against the fabric of Kaiba's jumper. 

“How's your head feeling?” Kaiba asked, still moving his fingers through soft, pale hair. 

Jou made a noise, one he was familiar with. The exact tone conveyed easily ‘ _better, but not good enough yet_ ’. His hands curled, fingers clutching the wool of the CEO's jumper. 

Kaiba kissed the top of his head. “I'll go get you a painkiller. I'll be back soon, I promise.” 

He headed out to the kitchen, blinking in surprise to find Mokuba there, eating. “That's my K.F.C.,” he pointed out. 

“Mine now,” Mokuba replied. 

“You're up late,” he said, going to the cupboard and getting down a glass. He filled it with warm, filtered water—cold water always gave Katsuya a tooth-ache, and it only agitated his migraines more. 

“Just got in. The European market is having a bit of a crisis and the HQ there is panicking about stock values.” 

Kaiba reached up, opening the high cupboard and getting down a little bottle of Jou's painkillers. He took out a tablet and dropped it into the water to dissolve. 

“Katsuya have a migraine?” 

“Uh-huh. Just getting him some so he can get a good sleep.” 

“Hey, Seto...?” Mokuba sounded so reluctant, Kaiba turned to look at him with some surprise. “Is everything...okay between you and Katsuya?” 

Kaiba blinked. He thought about it, struggling over what to say. He couldn't help but picture Jou upstairs, curled up in the warm spot of the cooling bed. Then there was a flash of Atemu, looking at him with heated desire. 

He sighed and bowed his head. “...we'll talk about it after Christmas, okay Mokie?” 

Mokuba frowned, but he nodded silently. Kaiba took the glass back up to their bedroom, setting it down on the bedside table and slipping between the soft sheets of Egyptian cotton. Jou tucked up close to him and Kaiba sat him up enough that he could drink from the glass. He hummed gratefully, then moved to lay back against the pillow. 

Kaiba moved, gently taking two of his fingers on each hand and massaging them against his temples. Jou groaned in relief, hazily opening blue eyes to look up at him. “Seto...” 

“Katsuya...” He paused, then leaned down to kiss him. Jou moaned softly and pressed up into him. Kaiba groaned, pressing down into his husband. They kissed and moved against each other, grinding and moaning into each other's mouth. Kaiba moved his hands down, reaching for the hem of his sweater. His fingers brushed against the warm skin of Jou's stomach, and Jou arched up into the touch. Kaiba discarded the sweater and moved his hand down, reaching to undo his jeans. 

Jou gasped and grabbed his hand, halting it in place. “No,” he whispered. 

Kaiba pulled back, giving him a slight frown. “Katsuya?” 

“I don't want to.” 

He sighed. “Your head always feels better when we...” 

Jou moved away from him. “I don't care,” he said, curling up on his own. “Not now. Not when you're leaving me.” 

Something twisted in Kaiba's chest. He sighed again and nodded. “Okay. Goodnight.” He went back to stroking through Jou's hair, mind turning over the events of the night. They were never going to make love again. After the end of the month, they weren't going to share a bed, or kiss, or spend the evening chatting and playing games again. He thought about the divorce agreement sitting in his desk drawer, and his stomach twisted with some unknown feeling. 

He closed his eyes tight and told himself to sleep. He was going to be with Atem. He loved Atem, he couldn't imagine spending a day without him. Leaving Jou was painful, but not being with Atemu was unbearable. 

Eventually, his hand still stroking through soft blond hair, he fell asleep. 

* * *

_December 19th..._

“Isa-chan, it's okay, I promise,” Kaiba said, smiling at her reassuringly. “I'll be right here backstage for you, and Katsuya is out there in the audience watching you.” 

“I don't wanna!” she protested, crying loudly. She was clutching the skirts of her white tutu in a tight fist. “I don't wanna do it!” 

Kaiba sighed, gathering her up into a tight hug. “What if I promised to go out there with you?” He suggested. “I'll hold your hand and sing your song with you too. Would that be okay?” 

She considered it, and then nodded. Kaiba handed off the headset and clipboard to Mokuba, waiting by, and let her lead him by the hand to the stage. He awkwardly looked out at the audience. It wasn't large, even with all of Kaiba Corp's pull, there still wasn't a lot of interest in the orphanage. 

But most of their friends were there. On either side of Yuugi sat Jou and Atemu. The latter was looking totally bored, but a small smirk crossed his face as soon as he saw Kaiba coming onto the stage. He couldn't help but give a quick glance at the blond. A warm smile was crossing his lips. 

He nodded to the pianist, who started playing the introduction. Kaiba awkwardly sang through the song with the little girl. She grew more and more bold as the song went through. She bowed and grinned at all the applause she got, heading backstage with a bounce in her step. 

Kaiba finished up the rest of the show, then headed out to talk with the audience and his friends. As soon as he saw him, Atemu smirked at him. “So you're a singer, Kaiba,” he teased. There was something mocking on the edge of his voice that set him on the defence. 

He forced himself to brush it off. Between work, Christmas appearances and Yuugi's cold, he'd barely had any time with Atemu at all in the last week. Kaiba glanced around, checking his friends and the orphans were all busy, then leaned down to subtly kiss Atemu. He was forced to pull away quickly, but at least he had that for now. 

“Are you sure you have to go away, darling?” Atemu asked, pouting up at him. 

“Yes, unfortunately. All of the KaibaCorp planes are out of commission from the snow, so we're going to drive to Tokyo,” Kaiba replied. 

“You could take the train,” he suggested. 

Kaiba cringed. Jou didn't like trains. Something about their trip to California and a train accident there. But instead of telling Atemu about that—instead of reminding Atemu of a time when he went through a lot of pain, he said, “I've never taken the train in my life and I don't intend to now.” 

Atemu laughed. “I suppose. It is quite an amusing image. I just don't want you to go.” He pouted again. 

Kaiba had an odd passing thought that, while Jou's pouts were incidental and unaffected, Atemu's were a tool used for persuasion. Before he could do anything more than think of it, he felt a tug on his trousers and looked down. “Hello, Isa-chan!” he greeted, smiling. 

“Hi, Mister Seto!” She peeked at Atemu shyly. “Who's this?” 

“Excuse me, little girl,” Atemu said coldly. “We were having a conversation.” 

Kaiba just frowned at him. “It's alright,” he told his lover. He knelt down to her level. “Isa-chan, this is my...friend, Atemu. Atemu, this is Isa.” 

“Hi there Atemu!” she greeted, smiling widely. It faltered and fell away when she only got the same cold, disinterested look from the man. She turned back to Kaiba. “Matron said I did really well this year, Mister Seto!” 

“She lied,” Atemu said impatiently. “Your performance was awful. You have neither talent, nor skill .The only part that made it tolerable was Kaiba assisting you.” 

Isa-chan, who listened to all of this with a wobbling lip and increasingly damp eyes, burst into noisy tears and raced off. Kaiba, who had been too shocked by the sudden barrage of cruel words to do anything, watched her run directly into Jou's arms. The blond, though surprised by her arrival, wrapped his arms around her and immediately began attempting to soothe her. 

He turned back to Atemu. “What the fuck was that?” 

“What?” The other asked innocently. 

“You know what!” Kaiba snapped. “She's a little girl, Atemu!” 

“I don't believe in coddling children from the truth,” he answered airily. 

Kaiba could only stare at him, throbbing with disbelief. He tried to remember something in the past that counteracted his thoughts. Had Atemu ever been particularly nice to kids? He'd certainly been patient and helpful toward young duellists, but other than that... 

He glanced aside and saw Jou, a scowl on his face, stepping up to them. “You need to go,” he said, his voice unrelenting. 

Atemu rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He looked at Kaiba expectantly. There was an awkward silence. “Well? Are you coming, Kaiba?” 

Kaiba was stalled by that—Atemu expected him to go with him? He glanced sideways at Jou, but found the blond turning away with a roll of his eyes. Did Jou think he was just going to go with Atemu as well? 

“No,” he answered. “I've got things to do here.” 

Atemu looked momentarily annoyed, but the look was soon replaced with a seductive smirk. “I'll wait for you in bed at the hotel then, shall I?” 

Kaiba stepped away. Was Atemu always so obviously manipulative? “No,” he said again. “I'll see you at Otogi's Boxing Day party.” And then he walked away, watching the surprise cross Jou's face as he left Atemu behind. 

* * *

_December 23rd..._

“Turn left here.” 

“The SatNav says we still have three—” 

“Fuck your SatNav, Seto. There's a shortcut this way!” 

They drove in silence for ten minutes, only the smooth voice of the navigator in between them. Without a word, Jou leaned over and muted the gadget. “I wasn't gonna bring this up but it's driving me nuts.” Kaiba silently glanced at him. “...and I'm not saying it to try and get you to stay with me, or whatever—I'm not even sure I'd still want to after all of this shit, but I'm **worried** about you, and—” 

“Jou,” Seto interrupted. “You can talk to me.” 

He sighed, turning his head to look out the window. “Are you sure about Atemu?” 

Kaiba frowned, hands clenching around the steering wheel. “What's that supposed to mean?” He demanded. 

“I mean, he's been back for less than a year. How much time have you actually spent with him in that time?” 

“I know who he is, Jou.” 

“Fine. Maybe you do. Maybe between your full work schedule and coming home to me every night, you've managed to actually get to know him for who he is.” The tone of his voice showed precisely how unlikely he thought that was. “But what you know about what he wants? From you and from his life?” 

Kaiba shifted uncomfortably in the driver's seat. “I know I want him,” he replied stubbornly. 

“Obviously,” Jou scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I know you're willing to throw me away for him—that tells enough. But are you willing to throw away any kids you might have had? Is what _he_ is willing to give you worth that?” 

Kaiba was silent, all of Jou's questions circling around in his head. 

“Do you even know what it is he's going to give you?” His voice was soft and hesitant. 

Kaiba leaned forward and turned the voice of the SatNav back on. “We'll be in Tokyo soon.” 

* * *

_December 24th..._

Shizuka's home was in the Azabu district. It was quiet, built in that blend of traditional and moderns style the district was populated by. Its interior was more American than traditional. She was engaged to a businessman who worked and lived in another ward. He'd met the Kaibas last year, before he'd proposed, and Jou liked him well enough not to disapprove. He wasn't coming to Christmas, but Shizuka hadn't invited him. 

Kaiba and Jou had been given the Western style bed in her guest bedroom. It was smaller in size than their own, hand-carved frame in the penthouse. Despite the warm pyjamas his husband had dressed himself in, Kaiba woke up with Jou curled tight up against him. 

However much he wanted to stay in bed and linger in the warmth, he had to get up and tend to business matters. So he slipped out of bed, pushed his feet into slippers, and went back downstairs. 

Shizuka and her mother were in the kitchen. The older woman was giving her daughter advice on how to better manage her household when she married. They fell silent when they saw him enter. It was the last bit of silence he'd get from Kawai for the rest of the visit. 

“Seto-san!” she said brightly. “Come in! Sit down!” Then she was dragging him toward the kitchen table and all but forcing him into the seat. “Are you hungry? What would you like, Seto-san? Coffee, of course—Katsuya always tells me how much coffee you drink. Would you like to eat? Pancakes perhaps? Or something more Japanese? Shizuka, I've told you to always keep natto in the house when you have guests. Hmph! You don't even have rice cooked up, Shizuka? When you're a wife, you'll have to do better than this for your husband. I'm sorry about this, Seto-san. I'll get started on pancakes for you...” 

During this tirade, Shizuka had already prepared him a large mug of strong, black coffee, and a plate of toast with jam. 

Once she'd moved past scolding Shizuka for the lack of fresh ingredients for pancakes, she sat down with Kaiba and begin the recitation of her woes. There were many, most of which were financial. By the time Shizuka had prepared his second mug of coffee—sweet and milky—he was unfortunately awake enough to comprehend what she was saying. 

“I'd of course like to see more of you and Katsuya, but travel from America is **so** expensive. Does your work often mean you travel? Katsuya says you always give him the private jet for when he needs to travel. I would think that would be much more pleasant. I can never afford to fly better than third class, so the flights are always cramped and terrible. Very inappropriate for an old woman.” 

“Thank you for breakfast, Shizuka.” He stood. “Good morning, Kawai.” 

“Oh, Seto-san!” she laughed. “I always tell you to call me Mother!” 

He bowed silently and excused himself upstairs. Jou was awake, already up and showered and dressed and laying out Kaiba's suit for the day. 

“Your mother was just lecturing Shizuka about this.” 

“Her voice carries.” He straightened the tie in place over the shirt. “Where are you going to work?” 

“One of our manufacturers is near the Fujifilm offices. I've had the foreman clear out of his office for the day so I can use it,” he answered. 

“I'd better go make you obento before your mother-in-law sees fit to re-educate me on my duties as your husband.” He turned on his heel and headed out of the room. 

Once Kaiba had dressed in the business suit, tie hanging around his neck, he descended toward the kitchen once again. Pausing outside the kitchen, he was privy to a conversation between the mother and son. 

“I'm just saying Katsuya,” his mother continued, “you need to give him children soon. An old-fashioned businessman like that expects them. He's not going to hang around much longer if you don't. What ever happened to that little girl you spoke to Shizuka about adopting? Usa or something?” 

“Considering you literally fled the country to get away from my dad, forgive me if I don't take your advice to heart.” 

Kaiba decided it was as good a time as any to step inside. Jou was just closing the lid to a bento box. “Katsuya,” he said, “can you knot my tie?” 

Jou stepped up to him, grabbing the length of fabric and folding up his collar. As he focused, the angry scowl disappeared from his face. Instead, his lips pulled together in one of his accidental pouts. 

As soon as he felt the tie tightened in the hollow of his neck, he raised his hands and gently cupped his husband's face. Leaning down, he pressed their lips together in a gentle kiss. He caught sight of Jou's eyes widening in surprise just as his own were slipping closed. After a brief pause, he felt the gentle pressure of Jou kissing back. 

The moment was rined, to Kaiba's complete lack of surprise, by his mother-in-law. “See, Shizuka? When you're dutiful, your husband shows his appreciation.” 

Jou pulled away, his brows pulling down into a scowl. Was it just him, or did the lines in his forehead seem a little more deeply furrowed? 

“I'll be home soon, Katsuya,” he promised. He wasn't going to leave Jou to the mercy of his relatives all day. 

“Take as long as you need, Seto,” he replied. He, of course, was attempting to rescue Kaiba from the prospect of the day in their company. His hands adjusted the collar of his shit, and then he turned away to get Kaiba's bento. He pressed it into his hands with a gentle smile. “Maybe we can meet up for dinner?” 

“Don't be ridiculous Katsuya,” Kawai snapped. “Your father will be here tonight. We're going to have a nice, proper family dinner for Christmas Eve.” 

Jou's jaw tensed visibly. “Right. Well. Never mind then.” 

Kaiba reached down and gently squeezed his hand. “I'll be home before dark.” 

Jou nodded and gave him a weak, grateful smile. 

* * *

_December 25th, three years earlier..._

_Kaiba found Katsuya on the fire escape, a mug of cocoa in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Having located his husband, he closed the window behind him. He peeled off the Kaiba Coat — as Katsuya had taken to calling them — and wrapped around the blond's shoulders._

_"You shouldn't be smoking, Katsuya," he said gently, moving to sit beside him. "It’s bad for your health."_

_“This is reducing my stress, koi.” He stubbed out the butt on the metal of the railing, then dumped it into the empty beer-bottle beside him. It was half-full with other used cigarettes butt, some brown with age and water. “Your surprise was shit.”_

_“She sounded much nicer on the phone,” Seto defended himself. “But I've learned your lesson. I will never accept an invitation to Christmas with your mother again. Okay?”_

_Katsuya nodded, and curled into his side. “It wasn't the best choice for reducing my stress. My little swimmers are never gonna be effective for the surrogate like this.”_

_Kaiba wrapped an arm around him tightly. “We’ll keep trying, Jou. Both of us.”_

_Katsuya laughed, pressing an elbow lightly into his ribs. “...I am sorry though,” he mumbled. “I know you really wanted us to have a kid this year.”_

_“Katsuya, I love you. I don't care if we never get a kid of our own genes. We'll adopt one of the kids from the orphanage.”_

_“What, not all of them?”_

_“Katsuya, I'm being serious,” Kaba replied. “You are my family. The dead will have to rise from the grave before that changes.”_

_Katsuya leaned up to kiss him. “Zombies couldn't change my love for you, Seto.”_

_The window screeched open and Katsuya's mother stuck her head out. “Joseph Wheeler,” she barked, in her obnoxious American accent. “I know things are much more selfish in Japan, but **here** , Christmas is a time for **family**. Stop being antisocial immediately and get your useless ass inside!” Then she slammed the window shut and stomped off. _

_“One of these days we have to tell her that I'm fluent in English,” Kaiba mused. Katsuya only acknowledged him with a tense, flat hum. “Want me to fake a crisis at work? We can escape to the office and celebrate our own ‘selfish’ Christmas there.”_

_Katsuya laughed. “Nah. Isabel was hard at work cooking Christmas dinner. We might as well stick around for that.”_

_Kaiba kissed him deeply. “Only for you, Katsuya.”_

* * *

_December 25th..._

Kaiba disconnected the phone and stepped inside the back room of the house. Kawai and Jounouchi were still drunkenly screaming at each other in the dining room. He ignored them and headed through the house, looking for the other two. He spotted them in the front courtyard through the glass panel beside the door. He shoved his feet into his shoes and opened the door. 

“Oh, Katsuya! That's wonderful! When can you...?” 

“Soon. I'm still planning his Christmas present and stuff.” 

As curious as he was, he didn't have time. He yanked his coat on and stepped outside. Jou tilted his head in his direction, and Shizuka did her best to hide the beaming smile she was wearing. “I'll leave you two alone,” she said, and headed back inside. 

Kaiba bowed as she passed, then headed over. Jou was sat on a wooden bench, head resting against the wall, looking up at the moon in the sky. “Bad news?” He asked. 

“One of the satellites has had an error,” he said hurriedly. “I'm sorry, Jou. I'm the only one with a copy of the original coding. I need to go back to Domino, tonight.” 

“Shit, is everything okay? It didn't knock out the navigation systems or anything, right?” Jou asked, worried. 

“It was just the duel system and our email server for now,” Seto replied. “But we need to figure out the issue and fix it.” 

He nodded. “Yeah, of course.” He stood up from the bench. “You're not driving all the way there, are you?” 

“No. Just to the manufacturer. Mokuba's routing me a chopper there.” He glanced back toward the house as the argument became almost audible. “Do you...want to come with me?” 

Jou looked back at the house, his expression torn. He seriously considered it, but then he shook his head. “I can't leave Shizuka to face them two alone. Send me a driver tomorrow? I want to go to Otogi's party.” 

“I'll leave the car and fly in a driver tomorrow tomorrow. You sure I can't convince you to fly?” He murmured. 

“In this weather?” He asked. “Nah. Won't risk it. See you tomorrow at the party?” 

He nodded, fixing the collar of his jacket. “I'll get my secretary to call you when I get in. Make sure everything's fine.” 

“Safe travels...” Jou leaned up on his toes and kissed his cheek gently. He dropped down and then headed back into the house. Kaiba lingered long enough to make sure he got inside, then turned and headed out to the car parked on the road. 

He was hyper aware of his cheek during the whole flight back to Domino. 

He descended the elevator from the roof of his office, into the chaotic floor of his office. There was his tech team and his security team, trying to figure out how the situation had happened. He gave instructions to his secretary to patch Jou in for a video call as soon as she could get him on the line, and went into his office. 

As soon as his door was shut, he froze. There, sitting on his desk-chair with his feet up on the glass surface of his desk, was a smirking Atemu. “Atemu?” He asked uncertainly. “What are you doing here?” 

“Giving you an out from your awful family dinner with the in-laws,” he replied. 

“...you didn't.” 

“It was simple, actually. You gave me access to the private elevator, so I came up, typed some things into the satellite system files and here you are.” 

“What the **hell** Atemu?” He demanded. “You could have brought the thing crashing down and killed people! What the fuck is wrong with you?” 

Before Atemu could answer, the door opened and his secretary looked in. “Kaiba-shachou? I patched in Kaiba-san, just like you said, but he suddenly disconnected and I haven't been able to reach him again.” 

“Shit...” Jou must've looked in, seen Atemu at his desk and come to the wrong conclusion. “Thank you, go back to your work. I'll sort this matter out myself.” He glared at Atemu, ignoring the sounds of his secretary leaving. “Get **out,** Atemu. Do you have any idea of the catastrophic events you could have caused? Or the collosal amount of **work** you've now created for me?” 

Atemu huffed and stood, giving Kaiba a petulant glare. “Next time, don't call me complaining about your ex-husband's family and expect me not to do anything.” He strode passed him, not sparing the harried CEO another glance. 

Kaiba moved to his desk and hit the intercom. “I'm going to need a lot of coffee, and get Mokuba on the phone.” 

* * *

_December 26th..._

“Kaiba!” Otogi grinned, passing him a glass of champagne as he came in the door. “We were starting to think that you weren't coming home.” 

He took the glass absently. “Is Jou here?” He asked, glancing around the room. 

He spotted him just as Otogi said. “Yeah he's there with Honda. Seems like a serious conversation.” It did. He could only see the back of Jou's blond hair, still a little damp from the snow, curling at the edges. But he **could** see Honda's face, and that was not a pleased expression. Expecting that he was due for some angry scolding, he headed over to them on the couch. 

As soon as Honda spotted him approaching, he stood up and walked abruptly out of the room. The paper wall slid closed with a loud bang, the room turning to look with a momentary pause, before everyone went back to their conversations. 

Jou didn't turn to look. He lifted his mug of hot cocoa and sipped from it. With a sigh, Kaiba went to take Honda's vacated cushion. He knelt down, giving Jou a silent, apologetic look. 

“About last night...” 

“I really don't want to talk about it,” Jou said, setting the mug down onto the warmed kotatsu. 

“I didn't arrange that with him, he—” 

“I said I don't want to talk about it!” he snapped. The room fell silent at the sudden shout, and all heads swivelled to look at them. Slowly, the conversation resumed, a few curious looks lingering in their direction. “Shizuka says hello, merry Christmas, and hopes that you managed to get everything sorted out in time.” 

Kaiba sighed, turning his face away. “I'll call her later and apologise for...” 

“It's probably best if you never contact me or my family again, actually,” he replied. He reached into the bag of gifts beside him, and pulled out a plain manilla folder. “Merry Christmas, Kaiba.” 

Kaiba took it with some confusion, flipping it open. His breath caught as he read the heading at the top. A divorce agreement. He couldn't read the rest of it, frozen in place by an overwhelming flood of feelings he didn't know how to decipher or classify. “Jou...” 

“I'm keeping the name Kaiba,” Jou replied. “But that's about it. I'm taking back what I brought to the marriage. My apartment, some furniture I had Isono take out of storage, and fifty thousand yen from the joint bank account.” 

“I...” He had to close the folder, but he couldn't look up at his husband... or ex-husband, as soon as he signed and filed this with the officials. “I was going to give you more.” Was the room throbbing, or was that just him? 

“I don't want more from you,” Jou replied angrily. “I don't want you to cheapen everything we were, and everything we went through together by paying me off for it. I can't go back to a time before you, but I _won't_ rely on you for my future.” 

“This...” He swallowed, stomach twisting badly. “I didn't want it to happen like this.” 

“Well, you're shit out of luck there.” 

“Katsuya...” 

“Just **don't** , Kaiba.” 

“Guys...?” They both turned sharply to look at Yuugi, standing uncertainly in the doorway. Kaiba slipped the folder off the table to his side, not wanting the other to see it. “We're about to make the toasts...” 

Jou got to his feet, giving Kaiba a long silent look. He was vaguely aware of Yuugi walking away from them, caught in the intense gaze of the blond. “I was going to give you something else,” he said, “but that's what you really wanted.” 

“It's what I asked for,” he replied, not even sure what he meant by that. 

“Go home, Kaiba,” Jou said irritably. “I'll tell everyone the news.” And then Jou was turning and walking away. Kaiba couldn't stop watching the place where he'd been, unable to shake the feeling that everything had all gone horribly wrong. 

He must've moved, because the air outside was freezing cold and there was snow soaking into his socks. Honda paused mid-draw, cigarette to his lips. The fury in his expression slowly disappeared, giving way to something almost concerned and pitying. 

Kaiba clenched his fists, hating the look, ignoring the feeling of stiff paper crumpling slightly in his hand. “Merry Christmas,” he told the brunet. He didn't get an answer, or he didn't hear it. He walked along the cleared path, heading out to the road and waiting for his driver. 

It was done. 

They'd had the last Christmas they would ever have with the two of them together. 

It was over. 

* * *

_December 26th, six years earlier..._

_Kaiba stepped out of his car, blinking in surprise when he saw Jounouchi standing outside the doors of the library, unpinning the large ornate wreath from the wood. “Packing up so soon?” He called, crossing toward him._

_“Yep,” the blond replied, glancing over his shoulder to look at him. His lips turned up in a brief smile, then he turned back around. “Christmas is over, finally. Means I can pack all this shit up.”_

_Kaiba came over, leaning against the post as he watched Jou carefully packing it away in a box labelled ‘XMAS STUFF’ in English letters. It looked like everything had been shoved in haphazardly with no care if it broke or not._

_“You know,” he said, picking up some lights and beginning to wind them so they wouldn't tangle as easily. “For someone who loves Christmas, you're treating the decorations you fought so hard for very callously.”_

_Jounouchi snorted. “Dude. I **hate** Christmas,” he replied. _

_“Don't call me dude,” he replied instinctively. He lowered the lights to stare at him, trying to wrap his mind around that second part. “You... hate Christmas?” He asked, disbelieving._

_“Christmas is either about commercialism, or family. I'm from a dirt-poor, toxic, divorced family. Exactly where was I supposed to learn to like Christmas?” He replied._

_Kaiba blinked. He gestured to the library. “Then what was all **this** about then?” He questioned. _

_The blond sighed, turning away and concentrating very hard on the wood of the door. “It was for the kids,” he replied. “I remember how hard it was, to be the kid at school that wasn't decorating for Christmas, or giving or getting presents. When you're a child, it's still magical and special. I wanted these kids to be able to experience that, even if I never did.”_

_“You... gave a bunch of neighbourhood kids Christmas... just to make them happy?” He repeated, staring at him._

_“Yes, okay? Geez.” He jumped a couple of painted cardboard stars in the box. “Sometimes, I like to make kids' lives better. It ain't building theme parks for them, but I do what I can.”_

_“Would you like to go to dinner with me?” Kaiba winced a little. He hadn't meant that to come out so abruptly._

_“Sorry, what?” Jounouchi asked. “Did you just ask me on a date?”_

_“...yes.”_

_The blond stared at him, jaw slack, mouth gaping open. “Uh....why the fuck would you do that?” He asked, confused. “We don't even get along.”_

_“We get along better these days,” he replied. “The more I'm getting to know you, the more I'm becoming interested. Do you know how rare that is for me, Jounouchi? There are very few people who manage to catch my attention, let alone keep it.”_

_“Lucky me,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “I guess you ain't so bad yourself, now that you've mellowed out a bit.”_

_Kaiba's lips quirked up in a smile. “Pick you up at six?”_

_Jounouchi sighed heavily, frowning at him. “You know what? Fine. We'll go out to dinner.”_

_He smirked. “Good. Wear something nice.”_

_“Oh, man,” Jounouchi groaned. “I'm going to regret this. I just know it.”_

_The End._


End file.
